Meet and Greet
by LickleSoxy
Summary: A strange man catches Jack's eye at a restaurant.


**Note: **Written for a multi-gift exchange on LiveJournal.

**-o-**

**Meet and Greet**

The table was flawed.

The wood was old and unclean - no amount of scrubbing would remove the scuff marks that had developed over time - and there were scratches adorning its surface. Black lines made quite a strong contrast against what used to be a pristine white, and each thick marking was jagged and messy. A single line ran from the edge of the table, right through to its centre, before tailing off into a mass of other lines that had been hastily carved into the hard material.

Letting his gaze roam over the mess that had been deliberately etched into the table by some bored or irritated being, Jack understood that, given the correct passage of time, he would happily add to the already crowded mass.

Mouth forming a thin line, Jack forcibly moved his focus from the table. He was frustrated, yes, but creating even more chaos upon an already destroyed surface was juvenile. He needed a distraction, but there was a problem with finding one.

There was nothing to do on this planet that he hadn't already participated in. Stranded on its quaint ground more than two months ago, he'd gladly taken in the charming atmosphere of the many settlements dotted around the main city. Flirting his way around most of the population had been entertaining, and he'd made quite a few friends, but there was only a certain amount of patience he could offer given the fact that he was not here by choice.

He was tired.

None of the locals had any idea as to how he could fix the ship he'd used to get here, and although Jack actually _did_ know the work that was required to get it back in the air, the necessary supplies weren't available. That left him at a dead end with nothing to do but wait for two inevitable outcomes: either he'd be rescued, or the natural development of the civilisation surrounding him would eventually create the technology needed to power his ship. Neither solution was appealing, as they relied on no input from him, but there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

Glancing around the room with little interest, he felt his attention begin to wane as he felt exhaustion pull at him. Perhaps it was time to get back to his temporary home. Giving a slight nod, he drew out a long sigh, before preparing to stand up so he could get out of this place.

He didn't make it as far as he'd intended.

With dark hair and a smile that seemed to light up the entire room, the man that had suddenly caught Jack's eye was not of this planet. His skin colour was indicator enough - locals had a bluish tint to their flesh - but his clothes also betrayed his off-world origins. How Jack hadn't spotted him initially, he did not know, but now that he'd become knowledgeable of what was possibly a tourist, Jack understood that he _needed_ to speak to the man.

The guy looked mostly human, though Jack had enough experience to know that many humanoid species could differ greatly from the Earth originals. It was best not to assume, though he could _hope_ - the chances of him getting help from the man was amplified exponetially if they were the same species.

Drumming his fingers against the table, trying to ignore the noise the tapping created, Jack kept his gaze firmly on the stranger. He'd got on this planet by some means; hopefully it would be a ship or device that he would be willing to share.

Nodding for no particular reason, almost as if to confirm the action he was about to do, Jack rose from his uncomfortable chair and began walking confidently towards the boy who was his best chance of escape from the planet. The restaurant was almost empty as the hour was quite late, though this didn't appear to register for the man who was seated alone at the table positioned furthest from the door. He seemed occupied with something, and his eyes were darting around as if he were in search of someone.

Letting a smirk rise onto his lips, Jack stopped just as he reached the guy's table. His view of the man's face was obscured by a mass of hair as he leant down to place a hand on the back of the chair. Taking a calming breath, Jack instantly felt his body cool and relax as instinct took over.

"You seem a bit out of place here."

The man's entire body jerked suddenly as a yelp of surprise escaped his mouth. Then, after taking a second to compose himself, he turned his head to the side so he could peer at Jack out of the corner of his vision. Noting the green colour of his eyes, Jack watched as, startlingly, the dazed glare in his gaze rapidly changed to something akin to recognition. Did this guy know him? Lowering his smirk until a small, friendly smile remained, Jack chose to ignore that idea for now. He shrugged sheepishly.

"Not normaly the reaction I get. Sorry." It was a sincere apology. He honestly hadn't meant to startle the poor chap.

When he received nothing but a blank stare in reply, Jack shook his head and allowed a chuckle to pour from his mouth. Moving around the table and placing himself in the seat opposite the man, Jack linked his hands together and rested them on the solid wood in front of him.

"You waiting for someone special? Seems to me that no one should leave someone as pretty as you alone for so long. Anyone could snatch you up."

Unexpectedly, his comment was met with a tiny, amused smile. Jack grinned. _Delightful_.

"What's your name, kid?"

The man's eyebrows rose in quiet bewilderment, before the smile disappeared, only to be followed by a snort. Jack frowned.

"I'm not a kid, Harkness. Probably still older than you... though I can't be sure anymore."

Jack stared. If he hadn't had his suspicions before, that definitely confirmed that the guy knew who he was. But what on Earth did he mean by his statements? How was this kid older than him? Of course, looks didn't come into the equation to determine age for many species of lifeform, but most humanoids _did_ have it as the main indicator. If this guy wasn't as young as he looked, then he wasn't human. What did that make him, then?

"Why do people keep on insisting that I'm young? First Amy, now you!" The guy scowled and grabbed some of the hair that was trying its hardest to cover his eyes. "Is it the hair?" In a sudden movement, his fingers were tugging roughly at the strands he held. "Too long, maybe? Could be seen as a younger generation's style, sure..."

Why did this rambling sound so familiar?

"... but it can't be that. Maybe it's my clothes?"

Jack's eyes widened.

"No, no. How about-"

"_Doctor_?"

The Doctor halted his tirade and turned his attention back to Jack. "Yes?"

Without really meaning to, Jack found his eyes roaming over the Time Lord in surprise. He looked even younger than he had the last time.

"You've regenerated."

Okay, so perhaps stating the obvious wasn't the most intelligent observation Jack could have made upon first meeting up with his friend again. In fact, commenting on the truth that the Doctor had changed forms once again was probably the least clever thing he could have thought to speak about. Though, thinking over it, Jack believed he had a reason to state what was blatantly obvious.

The Doctor was his friend, and from what he could tell, regeneration wasn't something he did for fun. That meant he'd probably been forced to undertake the change. Had anyone been there when it had happened? He knew that Rose had been there when he'd changed the last time, but had he been with a friend for this one?

"Do you like it?" The cheerful question brought Jack from his thoughts. Blinking rapidly a few times, he once again found his gaze roaming over the form of the man in his line of vision. Knowing that it was indeed someone he knew, rather than a complete stranger, helped to gain a perspective of his opinion.

The face was neither an improvement on the former two, nor was it worse. It was simply a face; one with features Jack found appealing, but then, Jack thought practically every face was attractive in some way or another. Yes, the Doctor looked physically younger than he had done before, but that didn't matter. Jack knew that the Doctor was far too old to actually be able to _look_ his age.

The clothes... Well, the jacket was quite fitting, if he were being honest, and the shirt matched. There was only one thing about the materials adorning his friend's body that seemed out of place.

"Why the bow tie, Doc?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow and letting a small smile rise onto his lips. He didn't mean to cause any offense, since it was pure curiosity that drove the question.

The Doctor, for some reason, scowled, his eyes gleaming with an annoyance that could only be achieved when defending a particular notion for what was certainly the umpteenth time.

"It's cool," he stated, fiddling with the attire as though that would convince any naysayers of this desired truth.

Jack's smile lifted into an amused grin, despite his best efforts.

-o-

"You like her?"

Jack, eyes wide and mouth tugged up firmly in glee, nodded. "Beautiful."

Walking over to the console that stood in the centre of the room, as it always had done, Jack gently placed a hand on one of the TARDIS's controls. The hum that echoed beneath his fingers was warm and welcoming, and Jack could not deny the sense of familiarity that poured through him.

"I think she missed me," he said, eyes darting to the Doctor when he let out a derisive snort.

"You should see the way she reacts to River."

Jack swore that he could hear a pout in the words. Surprise flitting through him, he kept his focus planted on the Time Lord as the Doctor pointedly looked at anything and everything that was _not_ Jack.

"Jealous that she's playing favourites, Doctor?" Jack asked, a playful hint in his tone. He had no clue as to who this River person was - a past companion perhaps? Probably not, considering the Doctor had used present tense whilst referring to her. Did that mean she was just another friend, then, like him; someone the Doctor only interacted with on occasion? Or was she the _current_ companion? He needed to know, wanted to figure it out, but right now it was not important. He'd just met up with his friend again and he was not about to ruin it by questioning the Doctor about something that had the potential of being an upsetting topic. No matter how slim the chance of that being true, Jack didn't want to chance it.

Not yet, anyway.

Watching and waiting for a remark in response to his tease, Jack felt a wave of concern wash through him as the Doctor remained silent. Staring at the console with a blank expression, the Doctor's eyes seemed glazed over slightly, almost as though he were lost in memory. Jack frowned. Was the Doctor okay?

"So, you going to show me what else you've done to her, or do I have to go exploring all by myself?" He was burning with curiosity, had a ridiculous amount of questions to ask, but now was not the time to try and get answers. Distracting his friend and making sure their reunion continued to stay in the realms of a joyous occasion was what mattered.

Snapping out of his apparent daze, the Doctor's lips lifted into a blinding grin. Jack felt his cheeks heat up slightly. Okay, so maybe his earlier assessment had been wrong - that smile was definitely cuter than the last one, if just by a smidgen.

"You're going to love her, Jack," the Doctor exclaimed, pointing at the Captain and then spinning on the spot quickly, before practically dancing out of the room.

Jack smiled. The new TARDIS layout was a start, but he had a feeling that she wasn't the only change he was going to grow to love in the coming days.

**-o-**


End file.
